


Tommy Westphall: Demon

by MoonSilverSprite



Series: The Law and the Paranormal [4]
Category: St. Elsewhere, Supernatural
Genre: Autism, Demonic Possession, Demons, Hunters & Hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 19:16:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20935376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonSilverSprite/pseuds/MoonSilverSprite
Summary: The real Tommy Westphall hasn't been in charge for a long time. Not since he was a little boy. Not since a demon entered him, became friends with a witch and a djinn and took hold of snow globes.Prequel to Demon Vacation.





	Tommy Westphall: Demon

**Author's Note:**

> As someone with autism, it irks me that one of the most famous depictions of autism on prime time TV is often shown in a rather negative light, although not the condition itself but rather the situation behind it. Yes, what the producers did in 1988 was a dumb move and if _St Elsewhere_ hadn't crossed over with _Homicide_, I don't think the ending would have been that reviled.
> 
> One explanation of the Tommy Westphall theory is that Tommy is incorporating the shows he's seen into his fantasies, which is where some of this fanfiction comes from. And as someone who has also watched a lot of TV can relate, owning several box sets can fill up a house quite quickly.

Tommy Westphall had not been himself for a long time.

The demon inside of him did not wish to name himself. He preferred Tommy’s name, or the abbreviation ‘Tom’, which the boy’s daddy used to use. Back in the spring of 1982, he had wished to get out of Hell, so he did. Going to Earth, he found the best option at an antiques store, where a builder was fixing the top floor. The man had brought his young son with him and the boy was holding a snow globe, shaking it rapidly.

The way the boy stared at everything peeked the demon’s interest. Easily entering the child, the feel of said snow globe in his hands was delightful.

It was not long after this that Tommy – as he decided to call himself – had asked the boy’s father what job he preferred. He wanted the man compliant, happy, content so that he wouldn’t see Tommy and his misdeeds.

“A doctor,” the builder answered, “in St. Eligius Hospital. Look, here’s a snow globe of the place. I saw you liked them at the antiques shop.”

This was too easy for Tommy. Finding a djinn was a piece of cake; there was one feeding off drug addicts under railroad bridges.

“Get the man his wish,” Tommy told him, “and I will get you several more victims.”

“The man wants to be a doctor?” the djinn asked, “I have a witch friend who might help put that to the test. Make him a reality. It’s not my ideal sort of desire, but it feeds me anyway.”

The witch was happy to let Tommy manipulate the entire hospital. On some occasions, Tommy would go down with his father, ‘Doctor’ Donald Westphall, to see if his plan was working.

Seeing the tricked doctors was a source of hilarity for Tommy. He reveled in the alteration. On some visits, he would see the patients and talk to them, pretending to be a timid, autistic boy. After all, that was Tommy had been, now trapped and pleading inside.

Tommy heard of the patients’ favorite programs. It was all some would talk about. Perhaps since they believed an autistic boy wouldn’t understand sports, girls or business. Stereotypical thoughts raced through them.

And then Tommy had another idea.

He often went along to stores and brought box sets of videos. So many of them. Each time he watched a series, Tommy brought a snow globe.

Then he would track the patient and hand them to the djinn, to be forever sealed inside a coma.

Tommy brought many box sets. _The X-Files_, _Friends_, _Mission Impossible_ (the show, not the movie, although he did like that as well), _Bob Newhart Show_, _Star Trek_, _Knight Rider_, _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, _ALF_, _Doctor Who_…he had box sets all over his bedroom and had to move some into Donald Westphall’s bedroom. Not that the good doctor was even aware; Tommy had turned him into a vegetable ages ago.

That had been an unfortunate day. The builder had come back from work, looked into the snow globe and said, “I wonder what he sees.”

The farce was broken. He had escaped the djinn’s power.

Tommy called the witch before any hunters could come by. The witch made Westphall into a stroke victim. Then Tommy took him along to the hospital, pretending to plead for help. When the man’s colleagues approached, he said that his caretaker would come by shortly.

The witch came by and then changed the doctors. Most of them suffered under torture and ended up dying. Aside from one, who was now a complete husk.

Tommy was pleased.

When the hospital cat wandered by, Tommy stroked it in his hands. Before he strangled it and threw the body on the ground.

Dumb cat.

That was six years ago. Now he had a problem with a hunter. To be frank, Tommy would have expected him sooner.

And it was no other than the man himself, John Winchester. Tommy felt pleased. Of course he didn’t have the kids with him. Tommy, as a demon, had promised not to hurt Sam, Lucifer’s vessel. All the same, this was a delight.

A policeman had got himself caught in the mess. One of Homicide’s finest. When he had gone to the antique store, the witch had rendered him unconscious with a sleeping spell, then pulled a hair out. Just for a future potion, she told Tommy as the demon took him to the barn behind Westphall’s house, where Winchester was being held.

Tommy had been forced to escape his vessel when Winchester threatened him. Tommy had flown over Baltimore, looking for help. He had found someone at a fairground and hid inside the booth after closing hours.

Winchester found him, sent him back to Hell.

But Tommy found his vessel again. The boy – no longer a boy, though – was terrified.

So Tommy had made an agreement. He would let the real Tommy take over sometimes, if the demon managed to provide caretakers for the remainder of his mortal life.

The vessel was so scared he agreed. Tommy carried on with his wicked plans.

As the Nineties turned over to the Millennium, Tommy changed from videos to DVDs. He now had many lining his shelves. _Diagnosis Murder_, _Red Dwarf_, _CSI_, _LOST_…if a show came back after a long time, he would watch these too.

And he had more snow globes to lure people.

In 2000, he had been faced with a problem. The Homicide policeman had been close by. Watching an episode of X-Files, Tommy saw that the policeman had acted in this. The conspiracy weirdo had decided to take part in a conspiracy show.

Interesting as it sounded, Tommy knew he should take a quick look at the policeman, see if he was tracking him.

Apparently, he was told a week later, the policeman had no interest of chasing Tommy. He was sticking with the work he knew and the insane conspiracies he loved.

Tommy was grateful.

Now, over thirty years after he had possessed Westphall, the boy’s vegetable father died. The real Tommy had begged to be free now. But the demon told him that he would never do that.

He had more shows to enjoy.


End file.
